I'm sorry this has taken so long. We changed internet providers and they sent us a new modem, WHICH ISN'T WIRELESS, so we've been stuck on one computer for a fortnight while I haven't been utilising the uni internet.

So, pretty much, there are three chapters left, including this one, and an epilogue after that. I'm about 5500 words into the next one, and not much has happened, so you may be waiting 6 months for that one too!

Chapter Fourteen: The Wedding Day, part one - Before

The day of the wedding dawned bright and sunny. Ziva rose at 5am as normal for her daily run, though today she was accompanied by a member of Jenny's detail for extra security.

The townhouse was bustling with activity when she returned from her usual eight miles; Abby was directing everyone like traffic, and she was surprised that hairdressers made house calls before 8am. The ceremony was scheduled for 1pm, apparently, giving everyone plenty of time to freak out.

"Are the flowers here yet?" Abby called out, trying to find the four bouquets they needed. "Has anyone seen the florist?"

Jenny shook her head dramatically from the kitchen bench, a coffee mug firmly enclosed in her hands. "Abby, you need to settle down just a little," she suggested, yawning into the mug. "Noemi's going to have a fit if she see's you messing up the house."

Abby turned to face her friend, a scowl on her face. "Do you see Noemi directing traffic on the biggest day of Ziva's year?" she exclaimed, her frustrated voice rising a few octaves. "I didn't thinkg so!"

Jenny shook her head as she took another deep swig of her coffee.

"Is the park all ready for us?"

Abby gasped loudly. "Crap!"

"What?" Jenny groaned, not ready for more of Abby's high pitched nonsense before her coffee fix.

"I need to go down there and check!"

"Well the hairdressers and hair and makeup artists are only just starting; they need to do Anna, Adina and Nettie as well as us, so you should have plenty of time," Cynthia said, entering the kitchen with a towel on her head to grab her own caffeine fix. "You can get one of the detail to drive you down."

Abby smiled and audibly let out the breath she had been holding. "Oh, thank god," she almost whispered.

"However I would suggest you put some clothes on before leaving my house," Jenny deadpanned. Abby giggled as she looked down at the towel wrapped around her body and the skeleton slippers on her feet.

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Tony, McGee, Ducky and Gibbs were sitting in the basement at Gibbs' house, the silence between them speaking volumes.

"Does anyone else think we should be getting ready?" McGee asked out of the blue. "Or should we be doing something else to help out?"

Gibbs shrugged. "We aren't expected at the park until 12.30, and it won't do Tony any good to get there too early without any alcohol."

"So are you going to break out the bourbon then, boss?" Tony asked, not moving his eyes from the sawdust patterns on the floor.

"Bourbon is not something to be dosing yourself up with on your wedding day, Anthony," a familiar voice spoke from the top of the stairs. The four men looked up, all surprised to see Anthony DiNozzo Senior and Abraham David standing up their, there individual security details taking up space behind them.

"Sir? Abraham? What are you doing here?" Tony asked, standing up to look at them.

Abraham started walking down the stairs. "You did not think you could get away with marrying my daughter without me being present, did you?"

Tony couldn't say anything; his brain was frozen in shock. McGee nudged him gently with his elbow, trying to stun his gobsmacked friend out of the uncharacteristic silence.

"No, sir," he managed to stutter quietly. "How did you know when and where?"

The two fathers shared a knowing look then turned to McGee.

"Abby," Tim and Tony said together.

"Who else?" Abraham replied. "Now, get yourselves out of this basement, we have a wedding to prepare for."

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Abby arrived at Anacostia Park in one of the many chauferred government vehicles the director had commandeered for the weekend and ran towards the section she had cornered off for the ceremony.

Rounding the treeline, she stepped onto the white floating floor that had been laid that morning as a makeshift path and stopped to admire the handiwork constructed.

"Miss Scuito, where do you want these?"

Abby smiled at the man holding half of the flower-covered arch the couple would be married beneath and directed the pair to the stage at the end of the floating floor. She took the time to look around; the neat rows of white chairs; the white roses and the dark calla lillies strung up as decorations; the pristine view of the Anacostia River behind them; and the familiarity of the navy yard across from that. The sun was shining strongly, no signs of any cloud cover in sight, casting light everywhere.

"Is there anything wrong, Miss Scuito?" another contractor asked.

"No," she replied quietly, shaking her head. "Nothing at all."

She was being uncharacteristically quiet, silently taking in the beauty of the empty garden, which would be filled with people in a few hours time.

Eventually, she turned towards the car, ready for the driver to take her back to Jenny's to get ready for the ceremony.

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Once again, please remember to leave a review on your way out, and wish me luck for my exams!!!

Oh, and I'll post a picture of the flowers the wedding is themed around soon... but my lecture is about to start so maybe not :)